Water-elevator



(No Model.) 4 sums-sheet '1. M M. H. WH-ITE.

WATER ELEVATOR.

Patented Nov. 3 18 96.

lwm

llz iizesma MM M (No Model.) 4 Sneak-Sheet 2.

M. H. WHITE.

. WATER ELEVATOR. N0. 570,526. Patented Nov. 3, 1896.

jyzfeniw? wzhzeues.

filows. 7/ ZZ/Zi THE norms PETERS co, mo aumu, WASHINGTQN, o. c.

( No Model.) 5 4 Sheets-Sheet a. M. H. WHITE. I

WATER ELEVATOR. No. 570,526. Patented Nov. 3,1896.

Jaw?? M .By flitornegf I wbtzu (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

' M. H. WHITE.

WATER ELEVATOR.

No. 570,526. Patented Nov. 3, 1896.

0M 0L4, Mud-m T ERS CO" PHOTO-LIYNO" WASHINGTON. D- C,

cams PET UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

MOSES II. WVHITE, OF IVANATOHEE, lVASl-IINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOSOLOMON SAUNDERS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

WATER-ELEVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 570,526, dated November3, 1896. Application filed November 14, 1895. Serial No. 568,932. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MOSES H. WVHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wa V natchee, in the county of Kittitass and State oflVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWater-Elevators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention is in the nature of a waterelevator, and is adapted to takewater from a running stream, river, or other water supply and elevateand deposit the same at a distant point under the action of the force ofthe current on said apparatus. This apparatus was particularly designedand is especially adapted for irrigating purposes, but is capable ofgeneral use wherever it is desired to elevate water in the manner aboveset forth.

Broadly considered my invention comprises an endless track or runwayextending from the river or source of water supply to a distant elevatedpoint and an endless traveler formed by a series of pivotally-connectedbuckets movable over said endless track.

In the preferred form of the apparatus the buckets are provided withpropelling-wings, which are adapted to fold inward in one directiononly, so that underthe action of the current, as the buckets aresubmerged into the stream, said propelling wings will be opened toreceive the force of the current, thus automatically causing the endlesstraveler or series of buckets to travel in a 0011- tinuous direction. Asthe buckets are withdrawn from the stream the propelling-blades willfold back to decrease their resistance .with the water. i

The preferred arrangement of the apparatus is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein, like letters referring to like partsthroughout the several views- Figure 1 is a perspective View showing theapparatus in working position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portionof the track or runway and several of the buckets of the endlesstraveler in working position thereon. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showinga portion of the track or runway with several of the buckets in workingposition thereon, one of said buckets being shown in its open and theother in its closed position. Fig. 4. is a transverse vertical sectiontaken on the line XX of Fig. 3,som e parts being broken away; and Fig. 5is a plan view of the parts shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

A indicates the current of the river; B, an elevated point, such as adistant hill. The track or runway is formed by a pair of endlessparallel rails a, which, as shown, are supported by posts a at properintervals along the line.

1) indicates the buckets, which, as shown,

are supported in pairs connected by braoketirons b, which bracket-ironsare provided with flanged wheels 19 which work one on each of therail-irons a. It may be here noted that these rail-irons afiare outwardfrom each other approximately at an angle of forty-five degrees from aperpendicular, and that the flanged Wheels b engaging said rails at thesame angle, are thereby held to the track and the buckets prevented fromrising or being thrown out of position. The brackets b are provided withball sockets or seats I) and with extended connectingbars b terminatingin ball-heads 11 The brackets b are pivotally connected together by theengagement of the ball-heads 11 0f the one bracket with the socket orseat 12 of the adjacent bracket 1).

The bucketsb are provided at their bottoms with gravity-closed valves bpivoted at b and provided with depending trip-arms b. As shown, thetrip-arms b are provided at their free ends with antifriction-rolls bNormally these valves are closed, but are automatically opened attwo'points in the travel of the buckets by means of inclined camways a(see Fig. 3,) which under the-advancing movement of the buckets engagethe antifriction-rolls Z) of the trip-arms b force said arms backward,and thereby open said valves I)". These camways a are located one pairin that portion of the track or runway which is submerged beneath thesurface of the stream and the other pair at the elevation B. The formerinclined camways a open the valves a" to permit the buckets to fill withwater when submerged, while the latter inclined camways open the saidvalves to permit the buckets to empty under the action of gravity.

11 are the propelling-blades, secured one to each of the buckets b bymeans of hinges b, which permit said wings to fold outward at rightangles to the runway, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5 by full lines, andto fold backward, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5. It will be notedthat these wings b are so pivoted that when turned outward they standwith their upper ends leaning forward in the direction of their travel.In virtue of this construction the propelling action of the current willhave a slight downward-forcing ac tion on the buckets, which, of course,tends to make the wheels Z) tightly hug the rails.

0 indicates a catch trough or basin located at the elevation B,immediately under the upper members of the inclined ways a and 0indicates an aqueduct leading from the basin c for conveying the water'elevated by the apparatus into the basin to distant points over thecountry where it is desired to use water for irrigating purposes.

If desired, I may also employ a wall at, which is built out from thebank of the river on a line with the inner side of the track or run way.This wall will tend to deflect or divert the natural current of theriver and cause the same to follow more closely the line of the runway.

The operation is as follows: Under the action of the current thesubmerged buckets and pivoted wings act as motors and cause thecontinuous circuitous movement of the whole train of buckets, as alreadyindicated. As the buckets are lowered into the water the valves Z),under the action of the lower camways a are opened and the buckets arepermitted to fill. As this action takes place at or about the time thebuckets are first thrown into the water, the lifting action which wouldotherwise occur from the buoyancy of the buckets is avoided. Obviouslyunder the above action the filled buckets will be elevated until theyare brought immediately over the basin 0, at which point the valves 17will be again opened by the upper camways a and the water deposited anddistributed as before stated.

Attention is further called to the fact that the action of the windserves as an auxiliary force to assist the action of the current of thestream, for, as will be noted, no matter which way the wind is blowingit will catch behind and open out some of the propellingwings Z2 whilethe wings of the buckets which are moving against the wind will simplybe folded backward out of the wind. It will also be understood that sofar as certain of the details of my apparatus are concerned it isimmaterial whether the apparatus is propelled in the manner set forth bythe action of the current of the stream or whether the apparatus ispropelled by other means. As is also obvious, various alterations in thedetails of construction of the apparatus may be made without departingfrom the spirit of my invention. For instance, suppose it is desired toelevate water from a still body, such as a lake, or from a river thecurrent of which is insufficient to propel the carriers. In this case Imight employ power devices which are driven either by steam,electricity, or by wind-power devices. In each of these cases thefolding wings, if provided on the endless traveler, would still act asauxiliary power devices under the action of the wind to assist inpropelling the traveling carrier. Again, the endless carrier, driven inany one of the different manners above set forth, might be employed forpurposes of transporting or moving devices other than water-buckets,such, for example, as to draw logs from the river.

lVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is as follows 1. In a water-elevator,the combination with theendless track or, runway extending from the water supply to a distantelevation, of the inclined camways located at said water supply and saidelevation, and the endless traveler formed by a series ofpivotally-connected buckets provided with valves which are normallyclosed, but which are adapted to be opened by said inclined camways whenthe buckets are passed thereover, substantially as described.

2. In a water-elevator, the combination with the endless track or runwayextending from the water supply to a distant elevation, ofvalve-tripping devices, located one at the said water supply, and theother at the said distant elevation, and the endless traveler, formed bythe series of pivotally-connected buckets provided with valves that arenormally closed, but which are adapted to be opened by saidvalve-tripping devices as said buckets pass the same, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a water-elevator,the combination with the endless track or runwayextending from the water supply to a distant elevation, of thevalve-tripping devices, located one at said water supply and the otherat said distant elevation, and the endless traveler, comprising thepivotally-connected trucks movable over said track, the bucketssupported, one pair by each truck, and provided with pivoted or foldingpropelling-wings and with valves that are normally closed, but which areadapted to be opened by said valve-trippin g devices, said partsoperating substantially as described.

4. In a water-elevator, the combination with the endless track or runwaycomprising the parallel flaring rails a, of the inclined camwaysailocated respectively at the water sup- IIO ply and at a distantelevation, and the endless a said parts operating substantially asdetraveler, comprising the pivotally-connected scribed. 10 trucks b 11 bb 11 the buckets I) carried by In testimony whereof I affix my signaturesaid trucks, the laterally pivoted or folding in presence of twoWitnesses.

5 wings 12 carried by said buckets b, and the MOSES H. WHITE.

valves 12 in the bottoms of said buckets b lVitnesses: provided withdepending trip-stems 6 sub- KIRK VVHITED,

jectto the action of said inclined camways CHAS. OULBRETH.

